Shin had already noticed that Satoru Gojo was nowhere to be found in the massive cloud of dust and ash kicked up by Jogo's ambush.
Could the strongest sorcerer alive really have been incinerated into nothingness?
No, absolutely not. Based on what Shin knew about his teacher's utterly chaotic personality, Gojo had almost certainly teleported back to the Tokyo Jujutsu High campus. He was probably rounding up an entire crowd of students to drag back here just to watch him beat up a Special Grade curse.
Shin could not help but sigh internally.
Gojo-sensei, Shin complained mentally. Are you not even the slightest bit worried about my safety? I am still just a high school student!
Before Shin could finish his internal rant, Jogo fired a devastating, concentrated magma cannon directly at him. Shin instantly summoned his Netherite Sword and charged straight through the blindingly hot magma blast, bringing the heavy blade crashing down toward Jogo's head.
Jogo's single eye widened in absolute shock. The curse simply could not comprehend how a mere student could wade through his ultimate Cursed Technique and emerge completely unharmed.
But clearly, this was not the time to ponder the laws of physics. Jogo instinctively channeled a massive surge of Cursed Energy into his arms and crossed them to block Shin's overhead strike.
Squelch—
Even though Jogo had heavily reinforced his arms with Cursed Energy, the razor-sharp edge of the Netherite Sword sheared straight through his flesh, carving a gash deep enough to expose the bone.
Ignoring the pain, Jogo clamped his free hand around the blade of the sword and stomped his foot violently against the asphalt. Instantly, a miniature, highly pressurized volcano erupted directly beneath Shin's boots.
Boom!
A massive pillar of superheated magma shot skyward, swallowing Shin whole. The blinding crimson light of the eruption illuminated the dark mountain pass. A twisted, arrogant smile spread across Jogo's face as he threw his head back and laughed wantonly.
"Hahahaha! Exactly what I expected from a brat!" Jogo mocked. "Your combat experience is pathetic. Even if you possess a powerful offensive Cursed Technique, the physical bodies of Jujutsu Sorcerers are incredibly fragile!"
Before the curse could finish his villainous monologue, a fist wrapped in dense Cursed Energy exploded out from the center of the magma pillar and smashed directly into his face.
Crack!
The sheer kinetic force of the punch sent Jogo flying backward. The curse spun through the air twice before violently skidding across the asphalt. The purple blood he spat from his mouth nearly splashed onto Shin's boots as the teenager casually walked out of the flames.
"Hey, are you seriously calling my body fragile?" Shin taunted, rolling his shoulders. "You are not exactly a tank yourself. For a Cursed Spirit entirely specialized in high-output offense, your physical durability is actually pretty pathetic, isn't it?"
Shin's assessment was entirely accurate. In the original canon, the disaster curse Hanami was able to survive multiple Black Flashes and direct hits from Special Grade Cursed Tools. However, that was only because Hanami was a specialized defensive tank. If Jogo had taken that exact same beating during the Goodwill Event, he would have been exorcised instantly.
(Even the manga's author had officially confirmed this power-scaling fact in the databooks.)
Of course, if the Jujutsu High students had actually faced Jogo instead of Hanami during that event, the sheer area-of-effect damage of Jogo's fire would have completely wiped them out.
Just then, Gojo cheerfully materialized behind Shin. As predicted, he had brought Megumi Fushiguro, Yuji Itadori, and Nobara Kugisaki along for the ride.
"Oh? Shin, are you having fun?" Gojo asked brightly. "You don't mind that I brought your classmates along for a rare, impromptu exchange event, do you?"
Shin shot his teacher a withering glare. He genuinely had no idea how Gojo could interpret this situation as "playing." Shin was currently in the middle of an intense, life-or-death brawl with a Special Grade disaster curse!
Sure, Shin could completely ignore Jogo's Cursed Technique damage thanks to his Enchanted Golden Apple and Fire Resistance. But if Jogo realized his fire magic was useless and switched to pure, high-speed physical martial arts reinforced with Cursed Energy, Shin would absolutely start taking real blunt-force trauma!
Not wanting to risk his classmates dying to collateral damage, Shin quickly pulled a Splash Potion of Fire Resistance from his inventory. He shattered the glass vial at the students' feet, coating the Tokyo Jujutsu High crew in a magical, fireproof aura.
Yuji, practically vibrating with curiosity, pointed a finger at Jogo.
"Is that volcano-headed Cursed Spirit our partner for this exchange event?" Yuji asked innocently. "He looks really..."
Yuji trailed off, too polite to finish the insult. However, Nobara, acting as the designated unfiltered voice of the group, immediately stepped up to roast the Special Grade.
"He looks old, ugly, and incredibly short," Nobara declared loudly, crossing her arms. "But most importantly, he just looks incredibly sleazy."
The sheer disrespect caused the two volcanic rocks plugging Jogo's ears to violently blow out under a massive surge of magma pressure.
"You have quite the mouth on you, little sorcerer!" Jogo shrieked in absolute fury. "I am going to burn you all until not even your ashes remain! Ember Insects!"
Dozens of fist-sized, buzzing insects erupted from the main volcano on Jogo's head. The explosive familiars shrieked as they swarmed aggressively toward the Jujutsu High group.
Seeing that Gojo had absolutely no intention of stepping in to protect his students, Shin immediately raised his hand and materialized a solid wall of Bedrock blocks.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A deafening chain of explosions rocked the highway as the insects detonated. The Bedrock wall absorbed the blasts effortlessly, remaining perfectly intact. However, the massive, indestructible wall also completely blocked the students' line of sight.
Taking advantage of the blind spot, Jogo rapidly flanked around the side of the barrier. He raised his hands and launched a massive, blindingly hot sphere of concentrated fire directly at the group.
Just as the fireball approached, Gojo casually began his lecture.
"Listen closely, students. If you ever encounter a Cursed Spirit with such an overwhelmingly powerful offensive Cursed Technique, you must never try to block it head-on..."
Before Gojo could finish his sentence, the massive fireball completely engulfed the entire group.
"You must dodge the attack whenever physically possible," Gojo's voice continued smoothly from inside the raging inferno. "If a normal Jujutsu Sorcerer took this attack head-on, their family probably wouldn't even need to pay for a cremation service."
Even while completely shrouded in thousand-degree flames, Gojo delivered his lecture at a leisurely, unbothered pace.
Jogo's face was flushed purple with rage. He frantically bombarded the exact spot the students were standing, dumping massive amounts of Cursed Energy into various explosive techniques as if they cost him nothing.
Yet, entirely unharmed within the localized inferno, the Tokyo Jujutsu High students were casually chatting.
"Wait," Yuji asked, looking around at the fire washing harmlessly over his clothes. "If we are supposed to dodge, why aren't we dodging right now?"
"Because this specific Cursed Spirit is being completely countered by Shin!" Gojo explained happily. "His Cursed Technique has absolutely zero effect on us right now! He literally cannot deal any elemental damage!"
Huff... huff...
Having rapidly expelled a massive amount of Cursed Energy in a matter of seconds, Jogo was already beginning to pant with fatigue. Realizing his ultimate attacks were doing absolutely nothing, the curse decided to tactically retreat.
Taking advantage of the lingering smoke and flames to mask his movements, Jogo took a slow step backward.
Instantly, Gojo teleported directly in front of Jogo's face.
Before the curse could even blink, Gojo grabbed Jogo's arm with an iron grip. With his free hand, Gojo delivered a brutal, open-palm strike to Jogo's chest, forcing the curse to violently vomit purple blood. Gojo then casually tossed the stunned Special Grade into the air and followed up with a devastating roundhouse kick.
The blow sent Jogo hurtling across the highway, slamming him violently into the rocky mountainside.
"Now, now, that simply won't do, Mr. Cursed Spirit," Gojo chided playfully, wagging a finger. "Our lesson isn't over yet. You know about it, right? The absolute pinnacle of Jujutsu sorcery: Domain Expansion."
Jogo struggled weakly to peel himself out of the crater, his single eye locked fixedly on Gojo in abject terror. His heart was completely consumed by regret.
Gojo had only delivered a single punch and a single kick, but the sheer, overwhelming, unfathomable power behind those physical strikes made Jogo instantly realize the catastrophic gap in their strength.
Furthermore, the curse's eye darted toward the strange teenager in the black armor. Jogo was absolutely certain his fire techniques failing was entirely Shin's doing. He had clearly seen the boy throw a glass vial into the middle of the group, and immediately afterward, the entire squad became immune to his flames.
To Jogo, this strange boy was not just a sorcerer. He was the curse's absolute natural predator.